‘House of the Dragon’ Season 2 finale: Why is Otto Hightower in a jail cell?

Quite a bit occurred within the Home of the Dragon Season 2 finale, from visions and prophecies to that last standoff between Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke).

However within the off-to-battle montage that happen earlier than the top credit, we’re lastly given a glimpse of a personality we have not seen shortly: Otto Hightower (Rhys Ifans), who was fired from his place of Hand of the King by his grandson, King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney), again in episode 2.

How does Otto Hightower function within the finale?

Very briefly. We get one shot of Otto, and for a lot of it would come as a little bit of a shock. He is not down in Oldtown with the opposite Hightowers or in Highgarden with the Tyrells, however in what appears like a reasonably cramped jail cell. Otto is sitting down, trying dishevelled. We see the sunshine shift and pour in via the bars and Otto raises his head and squints, showing confused.

The clip could be very temporary and it is unattainable to inform the place precisely he’s, or if he is in a typical jail cell in a constructing or in a cage that is shifting on the again of a wagon.

Why is Otto Hightower in a jail cell?

That is the primary query, is not it? Who’s taken Otto prisoner, and the way lengthy has he been held captive?

First, a fast recap: After he is fired by Aegon II again in episode 2, Otto decides to depart King’s Touchdown altogether and head south to the Hightowers’ important base.

“I will return to Oldtown,” he tells Alicent (Olivia Cooke). “The Hightowers nonetheless have energy, and you’ve got a son there who’ll take extra kindly to instruction. Daeron could but assist us within the weeks to return.”

“Go quite to Highgarden,” responds Alicent. “The Tyrells should be taken in hand — their bannermen are wavering.”

That is the final time we see Otto till the shot of him within the cell within the finale, and the final time we hear from him, too. Later within the season Alicent reveals that her letters to him have gone unanswered; later, Aemond (Ewan Mitchell) asks Larys (Matthew Needham) to trace Otto down so he can resume his place of Hand. So the query is, what occurred to him?

Effectively on condition that he hasn’t been speaking with Alicent, who he left on good phrases with, the implication is that he by no means made it to Highgarden. We discover out later within the season that Home Beesbury is waging warfare in opposition to the Hightowers, so it appears more than likely that Otto was captured by them – or somebody allied to them – en route. That may clarify why he is been AWOL, and unattainable to achieve, all through Season 2.

The one different choice? Possibly Larys is concerned in his kidnap by some means. He is intently allied to Aegon II, so it is not unattainable to suppose that he may have organized for Otto to be captured quite than finishing up Aemond’s order to have him delivered to King’s Touchdown. Possibly the cell Otto is in on the finish is even a cage, travelling with the identical convoy that Larys and Aegon II are using on to Essos?

Home of the Dragon Season 2 is streaming now on Max.